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I know that what might smell like stinky food to me, may not be stinky to others, but where do we draw the line? Microwaving food to stink up the office is not considerate. What constitutes an offensive smell? How can we make coworkers more aware of their stinky food? My fellow office workers thrive on ethnic food, the stinker the better and when it is heated up, the smell hovers into the next day.

–Name Withheld

The office etiquette for who decides which foods emit stinky smells from the office kitchen, is a team decision. If there were to be a list of No Stinky Foods in the office kitchen? A banana may smell warmly familiar to you, but the aroma of peanuts or a tuna sandwich could be an olfactory irritant to others. Let’s not blame all the stench on ethnic food. Make up a list (or better yet have HR post it). Be sure to add to the list fish of any kind, including No Fish Reheated in the office microwave. Then list such favorites as hot dogs, hard boiled eggs, raw onions, reheated Chinese or fast food, and Korean kimchi (spiced pickled cabbage). Encourage your coworkers to make additional suggestions to the No Stinky Foods list.

To cut down on unpleasant odors in the workplace kitchenette, suggest that all food and beverage being stored in the office fridge is labeled with the initials and date of entry: PJL 3/5/17.

Cutting down on the bacteria-ridden fridge clutter will help to keep food fresh. Half full bottles of soda and sports drink aren’t as inviting once opened, so make way for fresh food and beverage.

Office fridges are rarely cleaned, perhaps only once a month. Studies show that some are thoroughly cleaned only once or twice a year. In a work culture where over seventy percent of Americans eat lunch at their desks, the obvious place to store to store snacks and lunch is the office refrigerators.

~Didi

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